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Why Do Men Run From God?
 Why do men run from God? It has been a question with me for years and one I have hadthe deepest interest in because I cannot understand it and things I cannot understand when it comes to the way people behave have a way of bothering me. I have always wanted to know why men do what they do. I have wanted to know how men think and why they think the way they do and thus what motivates a man. The reality is only Godcan know for sure for only he can see inside a man and read a man's heart. As for youand me the Bible says, "
 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him
?" (1 Cor. 2:11 NKJV)Our best hope for knowing another lies in their willingness to open up to us. Even then we may end up scratching our head in bewilderment. They may tell us what they think  but do they themselves even understand the processes of the heart and mind that haveled them to the point where they are at?If there be a God (I am not expressing doubt) then by definition of what it means to beGod it is clear one could not successfully run from him. Hear David in the 139th Psalm.
"O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and myrising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and mylying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on mytongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether…Where can I go from Your  Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You arethere; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of themorning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,'  Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You." 
(Psalms 139:1-4, 7-12 NKJV)The writer of the book of Hebrews put it this way, "
There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must giveaccount 
." (Heb. 4:13 NKJV) To try and run from God or win a battle against him is utterfolly and only shows how foolish man can be to even consider such a thing.Since man cannot run from God why try? While we may never know a particularindividual's thinking or motive for attempting to do so the Bible tells us of some whohave tried to run from God in past history and gives us their motivation. Maybe we canlearn from that for man has not changed in his human nature since creation. Adam and Eve were the first to ever try and run from God. When they sinned in theGarden of Eden by eating of the forbidden fruit, breaking God's commandment, they attempted to hide from God. Adam said to God he was hiding because of his nakedness(Gen. 3:10) but that had never been a problem before. Sin made it a problem and thussin caused the first man and woman to run from God and try and hide from him.
 
Every case of running from God or away from God has been caused by sin in a man'slife. Those who love God and obey his commandments do not run from God. "
 For thisis the love of God, that we keep His commandments
." (1 John 5:3 NKJV) God is man'sgreat benefactor. Why run from one who is the only one who can bestow eternal life?There is only one ultimate reason, the fact of sin in one's life, sin that has not beenrepented of or forgiven. Every reason we can list as motives for man's attempt to runaway from God ultimately will in every case come back to the matter of sin in theperson's life.But what was the reason behind Adam and Eve's sin? There are some things here thatought to teach us some lessons. Eve was willing to listen to someone other than God forguidance. Eve listened to the serpent. Adam was willing to listen to Eve. The world isfull of people whose desire it is to get you to listen to them and follow them and theirlead not only out in the world but even in what is styled Christendom. What folly! The word of God lies in the hands of the man who holds the Bible, there and there only will you find it. God's word is the only sure guide man will ever have.I would dare say that last Sunday the majority by far of those the world calls Christiansengaged in a worship service (if they went at all) in which they did at least some things which cannot be found in the New Testament of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, thingsthat sprang up in some man's mind once upon a time and that was taken up by a body of  believers and has been handed down by tradition through the years as if it came fromJesus' own mouth. They placed God's stamp of approval on those things without asingle word from God voicing his approval. They took it upon their own authority,forget God, to do it and they want you to take their word for it that God will be pleased.They are sure of it even though God has not spoken. This is nothing other than purepresumption. They know it will please God because it pleases them. The problem isthey listened to man to get the practice as Eve listened to the serpent. If God neverspoke of the practice in the pages of the New Testament how can it be of God? It cannot. Add to that we are now living in a generation that is outdoing all past generations infinding new ways to worship (?) God, things unimaginable to my grandparent'sgeneration. Adam and Eve were God's children. Eve sinned by listening to another who was enlightening her so she thought, who knew better than God himself. We ought tolearn a lesson here. If you cannot quote book, chapter, and verse from the New Testament for your practice or doctrine you have listened to someone other than God. Adam and Eve did not have a New Testament but they had God's word. In ourdispensation of time the New Testament is the last will and testament of Christ ourSavior and thus God's word for man to live by until time shall end and Jesus shallreturn. Are you listening to it or listening to men and their desires and traditions?But, why did Eve do that, why did she listen to another? Because she liked what sheheard from the serpent more than she liked what she heard from God. So the secondthing we can learn from Adam and Eve is to not allow our personal desires to guide us. Always remember it is not what seems good or right or desirable to you or me thatcounts with God but whether or not we are obeying him by obeying his word.
 
I know it is our desire to want everybody in Christendom saved and the entire worldsaved for that matter unless it is for the mass murderers of the world and the world'smost evil people. But if God is God and he gets to make the rules then his word gets todecide the matter. John equates Jesus as being the Word in John 1. If God's word isgood then only a few relatively speaking will be saved whether we like it or not.Jesus said, "
 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gateand difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it 
." (Matt. 7:13-14 NKJV) "
 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven
." (Matt. 7:21 NKJV) God's willis found only in God's word, not outside it in man's proclamation.I don't know that a man can have too big a heart but I do know our great love for a wife,a husband, a child, a parent, a friend, or whoever can lead us to reject God's word inorder to have them saved. They will either not accept or obey the gospel or if they havedone so go off into false doctrine or apostasy, as the case may be, and we want themsaved so badly we start looking at scripture differently. Suddenly we find the word of God changing and old passages that use to teach us one thing now seem to be teachingus something entirely different. What has changed? Has the Bible changed or has it been our heart? Our great passion for and love for our fellowman can easily result inour rejection of God's word for the word we want it to be rather than the word it actually is.Do we think God is unjust in condemning those who will not believe the truth and obey it? Do we think we love more than God who gave his only begotten son on the cross todie in order to give to man a means of salvation? Do we think we love more than Jesus who died for us all? Do we think God is just too strict (I guarantee you many, many,many do)? However big your heart is I can assure you it is not as big as God's but do wereally expect God to save unrepentant sinners and people who do not love him? If hedid how would heaven be any better than life on earth?Have you ever thought that perhaps Adam loved Eve just a bit too much? Did he loveher more than he loved God? Love is a wonderful thing but we must love God foremost."
 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who lovesson or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me
," said Jesus. (Matt. 10:37 NKJV) If this be the case certainly he who loves a husband or wife more than Jesus is not worthy of him either.The Bible says regarding Adam and Eve's sin, "Adam was not deceived" (1 Tim. 2:14NKJV) but Eve was (same verse). God in speaking directly to Adam in the garden saysto him, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of  which I commanded you…" (Gen 3:17 NKJV) thus the case with Adam may well have been one of wanting to please Eve more than wanting to please God.So what lessons have we learned from Adam and Eve? (1) Sin led them to run from God.(2) This sin was caused by or the result of listening to the words of another who was notGod. (3) Eve listened to another other than God for she desired the doctrine he brought
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